Virender Sehwag’s 67 demolishes hosts Punjab

Sehwag's knock of 67 runs came off just 35 balls while teammate Gambhir scored an aggressive 40 runs.

Mohali |
Updated: April 4, 2014 3:07 pm

Virender Sehwag in action during Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20 match against Punjab in Mohali on Thursday. (The Indian Express)

Virender Sehwag’s blistering 67 along with an aggressive 40 from Gautam Gambhir helped Delhi to a six-wicket victory over Punjab in a high-scoring game at Chandigarh. Batting first, Punjab posted 174 for seven in their 20 overs.

The Punjab openers, Manan Vohra and Mandeep Singh gave their side a great start, adding 59 in just 33 balls. Vohra struck 41 while Singh was dismissed for 36. Contributions lower down the order, notably from Gurkeerat Singh and Himanshu Chawla helped Punjab post a formidable total. In reply, Sehwag and Gambhir flew straight off the blocks.

Sehwag’s 67 included 13 boundaries and came off just 35 balls. The Sehwag-Gambhir stand yielded 78 runs in just 40 balls and by the time Sehwag was dismissed, the Delhi score read 142 in 13 overs. All-rounder, Sumit Narwal also chipped in with a handy 42 of 23. With the win Delhi topped the North Zone group having garnered 12 points.

Tamil Nadu defeated Hyderabad by 30 runs in another South Zone qualifier. Batting first, Tamil Nadu posted 139 for nine in their 20 overs with Baba Indrajith top-scoring with 37 off 31. His twin-brother, Aparajith, scored 28 at the top of the order to give Tamil Nadu a good start.

In chase of 140, Hyderabad folded for 109 with only Sundeep Rajan making a significant contribution. Rajan’s 34 off 27 was the only innings of substance. M Prabhu picked up three wickets while V Shankar and Rahil Shah walked away with a couple of wickets each.

Mumbai slumped to a 26-run defeat against Maharashtra in a day-night fixture at the Wankhede stadium. In a game reduced to 18 overs a side, Maharashtra won the toss, choosing to bat first. The openers, Harshad Khadiwale and Vijay Zol, gave their side a great start, stitching 90-runs 68 balls. Zol accumulated 48 off 41 while Khadiwale scored 47 off 40. At the end, skipper Kedar Jadhav’s quickfire 27 helped Maharashtra to a strong 139 for two in 18 overs.

Mumbai’s chase got off to a great start with 21 runs coming off the first five balls. However, Sushant Marathe’s wicket off the last ball of the first over started a slide and Mumbai never recovered. Wickets fell at regular intervals and though Suryakumar Yadav resisted valiantly with a 31-ball 38, Mumbai eventually finished at 113 for 7 off their 18 overs.